A Private Member’s Bill introduced earlier this month that sets out to provide a legal entitlement for paid neonatal leave has received backing from The Government.
Proposed earlier this year, the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill will allow parents whose baby requires neonatal treatment to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to other existing leave entitlements, such as maternity and paternity leave.
The bill states that neonatal care leave will be available to employees from the first day of employment and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or more.
Neonatal care leave will be paid to parents as long as they meet certain conditions regarding continuity of service and minimum earnings. It is expected that these will follow the same tests that are currently in place for maternity/paternity leave – a minimum 26 weeks’ continuous service and earning above £123 per week.
The bill has now passed its second reading in parliament, and with backing from The Government, it is likely to pass through all stages of the parliamentary process and become law by next year. However, it is likely that this legislation will not take effect until 2024 or 2025, as HMRC and commercial payroll providers usually require around 18 month’s notice to make the necessary changes that allow employers to administer new statutory payments.
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